Several tidbits we’ve picked up over the last week on Michigan football, recruiting, bowl practice and more.
First, on potential coaching turnover …
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner is in demand, for more than just a line coach position. Some smaller (as in not Big Ten) schools have shown serious interest in him, and keep in mind he has coordinator experience both at Kansas and Ohio State.
Two sources have told us U-M is countering this with a really nice adjusted contract that they believe will keep him in Ann Arbor for some time. Warinner turned a group of unconfident offensive linemen into a solid offensive line this year — as he noted at the recent awards ceremony, Michigan was the only Big Ten school to have all five starters honored with some sort of All-Big Ten honor, led by redshirt junior left tackle Jon Runyan Jr.’s first team selection.
Other coaches we’d expect to have their contracts looked at — corners coach Mike Zordich and tight ends coach Sherrone Moore. Zordich has done an incredible job, and Moore has raised eyebrows nationally as a great young recruiter. It wouldn't surprise at all to see them get significant bumps in pay.
There have been rumblings about defensive coordinator Don Brown and the Temple job, one report that he interviewed for it. He loves it here, though — several believe it would take something like the Boston College head coaching job (which isn’t open) to lure him away.
UPDATE: Brown and Miami's Manny Diaz are two finalists. Diaz is considered the favorite.
As for other shakeups, it wouldn’t surprise at all to see another big name Harbaugh used to work with added to the staff. Harbaugh isn’t satisfied with 10-2 with losses to two rivals, obviously, and is still striving to get better.
On the football front, there have been rumblings that a few more players could sit out the Peach Bowl in addition to junior defensive end Rashan Gary. Most of those in question have been practicing, however. Junior linebacker Devin Bush said he wanted to play, then it was rumored he wouldn't … this one continues to go back and forth, and we’ve heard he might have had another change of heart. We’ll see what happens.
At this point, we don’t expect senior running back Karan Higdon to play, but we’ll wait for the official announcement from him before we say he absolutely won’t. Junior corners Lavert Hill and David Long have been rumored to be the other two considering it … we’ll see what happens.
Also on the football front … we still expect junior Shea Patterson to return for his senior year.
Finally, on recruiting, five-star defensive end Zach Harrison will make his decision via twitter Dec. 19. Some believe that bodes well for Michigan (no hype, just a “I’m going to Michigan, leave me alone” type of thing for the Columbus, Ohio native). Others we’d heard from who once believed he was all but a done deal for the Wolverines (before the beatdown at OSU) now think Ohio State wins out.
Know this, however — he has valid reasons for wanting to get away from home to play football, and those haven’t changed. Michigan will keep fighting on this one until the end.
Also, celebrate the greyshirt acceptance by Caden Kolesar. Most of you remember his dad, John Kolesar, and what a steal he turned out to be. John told us this in this article we wrote about his son in April 2017.
“He’s bigger, stronger, faster and smarter than I ever was,” John Kolesar said. “He’s been raised with the teachings of Bennie Oosterbaan, Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes and Lee Tressel, my dad’s high school coach before my dad went to Michigan, every day of his life.”
He was captain and starting free safety at Lakewood St. Edward, an elite program in Ohio. He’s a legacy of a guy who won championships here, too, and to many, that added value (if a guy can play — and Kolesar can) is important, especially since no kid in the last 14 years has tasted that at Michigan.
Our Jim_S wrote this about him over a year ago:
“Caden Kolesar is a legit Michigan prospect. He is a Class of 2019 DB who started as a mere sophomore for Lakewood St. Edward, a Cleveland-area Catholic school power that churns out DI players (including just graduated Kyle Kalis). He had been on my radar since his frosh season and posted a solid 74.22 Nike rating as year ago at the Massillon camp.
“[April 7] weekend he posted a much-improved score of 104.04 (5-9.5, 194, 4.67 forty, 4.09 shuttle, 39.0 power ball and 29.6 vertical). This is a great score for a sophomore and was the third-highest Class of 2019 score at the camp, behind just the great Zach Harrison (top player in Ohio) and a DB who only weighs 153 pounds.”
John Kolesar reminded Jim Harbaugh how Bo Schembechler once took a chance on him, and we remember how that one played out. This is a kid who is going to give his heart and soul to a program that could definitely use as much as it can get.
First, on potential coaching turnover …
Offensive line coach Ed Warinner is in demand, for more than just a line coach position. Some smaller (as in not Big Ten) schools have shown serious interest in him, and keep in mind he has coordinator experience both at Kansas and Ohio State.
Two sources have told us U-M is countering this with a really nice adjusted contract that they believe will keep him in Ann Arbor for some time. Warinner turned a group of unconfident offensive linemen into a solid offensive line this year — as he noted at the recent awards ceremony, Michigan was the only Big Ten school to have all five starters honored with some sort of All-Big Ten honor, led by redshirt junior left tackle Jon Runyan Jr.’s first team selection.
Other coaches we’d expect to have their contracts looked at — corners coach Mike Zordich and tight ends coach Sherrone Moore. Zordich has done an incredible job, and Moore has raised eyebrows nationally as a great young recruiter. It wouldn't surprise at all to see them get significant bumps in pay.
There have been rumblings about defensive coordinator Don Brown and the Temple job, one report that he interviewed for it. He loves it here, though — several believe it would take something like the Boston College head coaching job (which isn’t open) to lure him away.
UPDATE: Brown and Miami's Manny Diaz are two finalists. Diaz is considered the favorite.
As for other shakeups, it wouldn’t surprise at all to see another big name Harbaugh used to work with added to the staff. Harbaugh isn’t satisfied with 10-2 with losses to two rivals, obviously, and is still striving to get better.
On the football front, there have been rumblings that a few more players could sit out the Peach Bowl in addition to junior defensive end Rashan Gary. Most of those in question have been practicing, however. Junior linebacker Devin Bush said he wanted to play, then it was rumored he wouldn't … this one continues to go back and forth, and we’ve heard he might have had another change of heart. We’ll see what happens.
At this point, we don’t expect senior running back Karan Higdon to play, but we’ll wait for the official announcement from him before we say he absolutely won’t. Junior corners Lavert Hill and David Long have been rumored to be the other two considering it … we’ll see what happens.
Also on the football front … we still expect junior Shea Patterson to return for his senior year.
Finally, on recruiting, five-star defensive end Zach Harrison will make his decision via twitter Dec. 19. Some believe that bodes well for Michigan (no hype, just a “I’m going to Michigan, leave me alone” type of thing for the Columbus, Ohio native). Others we’d heard from who once believed he was all but a done deal for the Wolverines (before the beatdown at OSU) now think Ohio State wins out.
Know this, however — he has valid reasons for wanting to get away from home to play football, and those haven’t changed. Michigan will keep fighting on this one until the end.
Also, celebrate the greyshirt acceptance by Caden Kolesar. Most of you remember his dad, John Kolesar, and what a steal he turned out to be. John told us this in this article we wrote about his son in April 2017.
“He’s bigger, stronger, faster and smarter than I ever was,” John Kolesar said. “He’s been raised with the teachings of Bennie Oosterbaan, Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes and Lee Tressel, my dad’s high school coach before my dad went to Michigan, every day of his life.”
He was captain and starting free safety at Lakewood St. Edward, an elite program in Ohio. He’s a legacy of a guy who won championships here, too, and to many, that added value (if a guy can play — and Kolesar can) is important, especially since no kid in the last 14 years has tasted that at Michigan.
Our Jim_S wrote this about him over a year ago:
“Caden Kolesar is a legit Michigan prospect. He is a Class of 2019 DB who started as a mere sophomore for Lakewood St. Edward, a Cleveland-area Catholic school power that churns out DI players (including just graduated Kyle Kalis). He had been on my radar since his frosh season and posted a solid 74.22 Nike rating as year ago at the Massillon camp.
“[April 7] weekend he posted a much-improved score of 104.04 (5-9.5, 194, 4.67 forty, 4.09 shuttle, 39.0 power ball and 29.6 vertical). This is a great score for a sophomore and was the third-highest Class of 2019 score at the camp, behind just the great Zach Harrison (top player in Ohio) and a DB who only weighs 153 pounds.”
John Kolesar reminded Jim Harbaugh how Bo Schembechler once took a chance on him, and we remember how that one played out. This is a kid who is going to give his heart and soul to a program that could definitely use as much as it can get.
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